Rent-A-Center, Inc. Completes Store Exchange

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rent-A-Center, Inc. (the "Company") (NASDAQ/NGS: RCII), the nation's largest rent-to-own operator, today announced that it completed an exchange of stores with easyhome Ltd., Canada's largest merchandise leasing company and a growing provider of financial services. The transaction, which closed on December 31, 2012, consisted of the concurrent sale by the Company of the assets and operations of 15 rent-to-own stores located in Canada and the purchase from easyhome of the assets and operations of 15 rent-to-own stores located in New York. Following the transaction, the Company owns 18 stores in Canada.

"While we intend to continue focusing on improving operating efficiencies in our remaining stores in Canada, the focus of our International segment is on Mexico and other international markets in which we believe our products and services would be in demand," said Mark E. Speese, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "At December 31, 2012, we owned 90 stores in Mexico and expect to continue adding additional locations there in 2013," Mr. Speese concluded.

Rent-A-Center, Inc., headquartered in Plano, Texas, is the largest rent-to-own operator in North America, focused on improving the quality of life for its customers by providing them the opportunity to obtain ownership of high-quality, durable goods such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers, furniture and accessories, under flexible rental purchase agreements with no long-term obligation. The Company owns and operates approximately 3,140 stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and approximately 960 RAC Acceptance kiosk locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. ColorTyme, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is a national franchiser of approximately 220 rent-to-own stores operating under the trade name of "ColorTyme." For additional information about the Company, please visit www.rentacenter.com.

This press release and the guidance above contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "could," "estimate," "should," "anticipate," or "believe," or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements will prove to be correct, the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The actual future performance of the Company could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: uncertainties regarding the ability to open new locations; the Company's ability to acquire additional stores or customer accounts on favorable terms; the Company's ability to enhance the performance of acquired stores; the Company's ability to retain the revenue associated with acquired customer accounts; the Company's ability to identify and successfully market products and services that appeal to its customer demographic; the Company's ability to enter into new and collect on its rental or lease purchase agreements; the passage of legislation adversely affecting the rent-to-own industry; the Company's failure to comply with applicable statutes or regulations governing its transactions; adverse changes in the economic conditions of the industries, countries or markets the Company serves; and the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2012, June 30, 2012, and September 30, 2012. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Company is not obligated to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect the events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.